Basketball has been a lifestyle for junior point guard Nate Richards since a young age, and it led to him being named a first team all-section player as a sophomore last season.

“It was an honor being a first team all-section player,” he said. “It was even better to share it with one of my teammates, James.”

That would be senior James Wesling, who said he felt really good about what the two accomplished last year.

“I was happy to be in all-sections alongside Nate,” Wesling said. “It was great to see my teammate have such a successful year as a sophomore.”

As a player, Richards is always striving to get better, getting into the gym as often as he can.

“Some of the things I do to put me above the competition is to get in the basketball gym once a day to twice a day for about three hours each session,” he said. “I really just stick to the fundamentals and I think that’s what makes me a good player.”

Although many young kids start with sports like baseball and soccer, Richards was part of a basketball family.

“I’ve been playing basketball since I could walk,” Richards said. “Basketball is in my blood, so it was sort of just destined for me to play.”

His basketball career mostly started thanks to his mom, Maureen Richards, who played point guard at Pitt in the late ’80s and early ’90s. She was also head coach at St. Gabriel girls basketball team.

“My mom inspired me to play because she played at Pitt and I grew up watching her coach,” he said. “I’ve learned everything I know now from her. She is why I’m the player I am today.”

After an athlete starts high school, basketball switches in intensity – going from a sport of fun and making friends to going out and battling every night. Every game is about winning, and Richards has loved that.

“The best part of basketball has to be winning,” he said. “The feeling of having a great game against a tough rival has to be one of the best.”

Wesling sees a lot of strong areas in Richards’ game.

“It is great playing with Nate because he is a very skilled player,” he said. “He can handle the ball, facilitate and score.”

As a point guard, Richards takes pride in always looking to make teammates around him better.

“Making a well rounded team is really the main goal in order to succeed,” he said. “The more involved and confident I can get my teammates, the more likely we are to win.”

Wesling thinks Richards has an impact on the team through the way he shares the ball.

“He helps open up the floor for other players to score,” he said. “He can see the floor really well.”

“He has made me a better defender through the way he competes in practice,” Wesling said. “He helps me get more opportunities to score and has helped me become a better teammate.”

Richards has built up a lot of memories through his years of playing, but some stick out more than others.

“One of my favorite memories from middle school was winning the section championship in eighth grade,” he said. “A favorite memory from high school was scoring 24 points in one half against Franklin Regional.”

After high school, Richards hopes he can continue to play at the next level.

“I want to play Division 2 or Division 1 basketball in college and hopefully continue my basketball career after college,” he said.

And this season, Richards hopes to change the narrative when it comes to Baldwin basketball.

“My hope is that we can win the section as it would be the first time since 1986 a team has done so,” he said. “Winning WPIAL is also always an end goal for us as a team.”